Juvenile Justice in Singapore: Comparative Notes to Thailand (Part 1)

Abstract

               Singapore is admired as a successfully developed country in politics, economy, and society. Many countries have analyzed Singapore’s model in order to apply and use to their own countries. In term of criminal justice successfulness, it also has been researched and compared to other legal systems, including Thailand. Its juvenile justice system is one of the interesting issues to study, especially in term of delinquent age which should be ruled in order to be trial in juvenile justice system. On such issue, Thai Juvenile and Family Courts differently have their own discretion.

               The problem to use the discretion of Thai Juvenile and Family Courts is an interesting aspect and compared with the law of Singapore. The different exercise based on the discretion of each court may be solved if Thai law is amended by not letting the courts make their own discretion.

                Hence, in this first part article, the author wishes to explain the origin and its objectives of juvenile justice, the age of the child and young person, and the courts regarding juvenile justice in Singapore. The author suggests that Thailand should amend the law by pointing at the age of child and juvenile on the first trial to get in juvenile justice system. The special legal measures under the law will literally be for the youth person, as well as this will make a clear practice to the courts.